This invention relates to gloves and, more specifically, to a puncture-proof glove for use in surgery.
An intact barrier between the hand of a surgeon and the tissue of a patient undergoing an operation is important if transmission of a disease in either direction is to be prevented. Conventionally, surgical gloves are used to provide such a barrier. The surgical glove was introduced in 1889 and it has now become common practice for surgeons as well as all medical technicians to wear surgical gloves in order to prevent infections in either direction.
Currently, a majority of surgical gloves are made from latex. In recent years the effectiveness of surgical gloves in preventing transmission of a disease has been questioned. It is not uncommon for a surgical glove to become punctured without the wearer's knowledge, thereby allowing for the transmission of disease in either direction. Such undetected punctures may result in prolonged contact with an infected material. In order to prevent these undetected punctures, it has become common practice for medical personnel to wear two pairs of gloves, referred to as "double gloving". Double gloving has been found to provide some protection in that if the outer glove becomes punctured, the inner glove continues to provide protection. The inner glove, however, is not puncture-proof and there remains a need for a puncture-proof glove for use by medical personnel.
Prior solutions to making a puncture-proof glove included the use of meshes of various kinds of materials, leather gloves, multi-layered gloves, gloves with patches of antiseptic solution, and fingertip protection of solid materials. Some of these prior art solutions restrict the flexibility of the surgeon's hand. Needless to say, medical personnel need a high degree of flexibility, especially when they are wearing gloves for surgery.